Apparatus for steam treating the uppers of shoes



Aug. 31, 1965 R. KLEIN 0 APPARATUS FOR STEAM TREATING THE UPPERS OF SHOES Filed April 1, 1963 l j /NVENTOR i RobertAZE/N United States Patent 3,203,018 APPARATUS FOR STEAM TREATING THE UPPERS 0F SHOES Robert Klein, Lembergerstrasse 14, Pirmasens, Pfalz, Germany Filed Apr. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 269,631 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 4, 1962, K 46,370 5 Claims. (Cl. 12-1) The invention relates to apparatus for steam treating the uppers of shoes and is particularly concerned with an improved apparatus for steam treating or mulling the outside of such uppers while keeping the interior in dry condition.

In the manufacture of shoes it is necessary before the uppers are mounted on lasts and glued with wipers (in modern shoe manufacturing methods gluing with wipers is practically exclusively employed) to make the uppers pliable, which is effected by steaming or vapor treatment. For this purpose the shoe uppers are either introduced by using feeding arrangements having continuous advancing means or they are manually introduced into the apparatus which is provided with the means necessary for producing the water vapor and is closed on all sides so that concentrated action of the water vapor on the uppers of the shoes is obtained.

The moistening of the shoe upper should preferably be effected only on the outside, i.e. on the grain side of the leather, while the inside of the upper should remain as dry as possible. The requisites for controlling the steam treatment against the grain side of the leather are continuously becoming more rigid, because the dyed leathers that are treated by modern methods, for example by priming, are very sensitive.

The requirement for a dry inside is called for by the subsequent gluing with wipers, because any moisture inside results in poor gluing.

It is therefore an object of the invention to insure that the inside of the upper is exposed to water vapor as little as possible, while at the same time ascertaining that the distribution of the water vapor is even, in order to avoid formation of water spots on the grain side.

In a known arrangement a moisture permeable conveying device is provided on which the uppers are placed. In this device a water trough with heating coils is provided below the conveyor for generating a steam or vapor atmosphere, and above the conveyor, spray nozzles for hot water. With that type of apparatus, however, it is not possible to meet the aforementioned requisites. There the upper is evenly soaked on all sides, which must definitely be avoided. I

In accordance with the invention the problem is solved by providing apparatus whereby the inside of the shoe upper is subjected to the action of an air current and means are provided for the additional vaporizing and distribution of the spray water.

The apparatus is provided with means for producing an air current that is directed into the inside of the shoe uppers. Furthermore, above the shoe uppers to be treated a heating element is provided which additionally heats and distributes the quantities of water that are sprayed laterally and upwardly.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus in accordance with the invention that is schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a section taken transversely of the apparatus in accordance with the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention.

3,203,018 Patented Aug. 31, 1965 Fee The apparatus is equipped with a housing 1 in the form of a tunnel or the like through which a conveyor 2 carrying the uppers of the shoes to be treated travels continuously. This conveyor may be in any desired form.

On both sides of the conveyor for the uppers 3 water baths 4 and 5 are provided, which are heated by means of heating coils 6 or the like and which produce a vapor atmosphere in the tunnel 1.

Tubes 7 having spraying nozzles 8 are passed upwardly through the water baths 4 and 5. The water supplied through the tubes 7 to the spraying nozzles 8 is heated while passing through the water baths 4 and 5 without it being necessary to introduce any additional heat.

Additional heating elements 10 are provided above the conveyor track for the shoe uppers 3 which are located at the apex 9 of the tunnel 1. The water sprayed by the spraying nozzles 8 laterally of the shoe uppers 3 and upwardly contacts the heating element 10 and is further heated and distributed there. In this manner a very even filling of the entire tunnel with very finely divided water vapor is obtained. Furthermore, the heating body '10 prevents the formation of condensation water in the area of the apex of tunnel 1, which could result in forming droplets and, therefore, water drop spots upon the very sensitive drained outside of the shoe uppers 3. It is understood that for the treatment of the shoe uppers 3 water that has been treated with a wetting agent to reduce surface tension in a known manner is used, so that it can better penetrate the leather of the shoe uppers 3 which contain fatty substances.

By means of this form of construction of the individual parts of the apparatus for supplying and distributing Water and for forming vapor, an extremely extensive and very favorable distribution and vaporization of the I water throughout the cross section and the length of the tunnel is obtained, thereby meeting the prerequisite for a rapid, satisfactory and even treatment of the outsides of the shoe uppers 3.

In order to prevent that the insides of the shoe uppers 3 become moistened, as has been the case with the apparatuses known heretofore, means are provided below the feed track for introducing an air current.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 these means are constituted by ventilators in the form of fans 11. It is, of course, possible to employ any other means for introducing the air, for example, air nozzles or jets 12 which are supplied from a common source as shown in FIG. 2, or similar appliances.

The upwardly directed air stream produced prevents the entrance of the steam atmosphere into the inside of the shoe uppers 3 and accordingly prevents moistening of the inside. Simultaneously, the remaining air current which may leave the uppers from the top adds to the further more extensive whirling of the steam vapor in tunnel 1.

As the uppers pass through the apparatus utilized, the interior of the uppers treated remains dry. During the subsequent gluing with wipers the glue utilized for this purpose can be fully effective. The gluing effect is not impeded by moisture absorbed on the inside of the upper by the upper leather.

The conveyor 2 may, as mentioned above, be in any form desired, but a conveyor in the form of a fabric is preferred. It is, of course, also possible to provide the apparatus in tunnel shape without imparting any particular conveying means. Finally, it is also possible to construct the apparatus in the form of a cabinet.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the drawing shows a cross section. The individual parts of the apparatus are repeated, depending on the length of the tunnel. Thus, particularly the spray nozzles 8 are in two series rows; also the means for producing an air current, such as fans 11, may be arranged in series one behind the other. The heating elements extend longitudinally in the full length of tunnel 1.

In each case the proposed object is achieved, that the outside of the uppers, he. the grain side of the leather, are exposed to the effect of the water vapor evenly and sparingly, while the inside of the uppers remains dry.

Preferably the apparatus is constructed in tunnel form with a conveyor for continuously supplying the device with the shoe uppers to be treated. The measures in accordance with the invention, however, may also be applied in processing cabinets where a certain number of shoe uppers are introduced at the same time for simultaneous treatment and are removed after the steaming has been eifected.

Having now described my invention with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, I do not Wish to be limited thereto, but what I desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States of America is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for steaming the outside of the uppers of shoes while maintaining the inside in dry condition, said apparatus comprising a housing having a lower end and an upper portion forming an apex, means in said housing for supporting said uppers, means for directing an air current upwardly into the interior of said uppers, heating means disposed at the apex of said housing, means disposed laterally and proximate the lower end of said housing for projecting a water spray into said housing and against said heating means for additionally vaporizing said spray and with the aid of the air current directing vapor downwardly onto the outside of said uppers.

2. Apparatus for steaming the outside of the uppers of shoes while maintaining the inside in dry condition, said apparatus comprising a housing having a lower end and an upper portion forming an apex, means in said housing for supporting said uppers, means for directing an air current upwardly into the interior of said uppers, heating means disposed at the apex of said housing, means dis posed laterally and proximate the lower end of said housing for projecting a water spray into said housing and against said heating means for additionally vaporizing said spray and with the aid of the air current directing vapor downwardly onto the outside of said uppers, said housing being in the form of a tunnel and said means for supporting said uppers being a conveyor for continuously feeding uppers of shoes through said tunnel, and heated water baths arranged along the sides of and proximate the lower end of saidtunnel through which said means for projecting said water spray pass.

3. Apparatus for steaming the outside of the uppers of shoes while maintaining the inside in dry condition, said apparatus comprising a housing having a lower end and an upper portion forming an apex, means in said housing for supporting said uppers, means for directing an air current upwardly into the interior of said uppers, heating means disposed at the apex of said housing, means disposed laterally and proximate the lower end of said housing for projecting a water spray into said housing and.

against said heating means for additionally vaporizing said spray and with the aid of the air current directing 4 vapor downwardly onto the outside of said uppers, said housing being'in the form of a tunnel and said means for supporting said uppers being a conveyor for continuously feeding uppers of shoes through said tunnel, and heated 5 water baths arranged along the sides of and proximate the lower end of said tunnel through which said means for projecting said water spray pass, and said means for directing said air current being ventilators such as fans disposed'below said conveyor.

4. Apparatus for steaming the outside of the uppers of shoes while maintaining the inside in dry condition, said apparatus comprising a housing having a lower end and an upper portion forming an apex, means in said housing for supporting said uppers, means for directing an air current upwardly into the interior of said uppers, heating means disposed at the apex of said housing, means disposed laterally and proximate the lower end of said housing for projecting a water spray into said housing and against said heating means for additionally vaporizing said spray and with the aid of the air current directing vapor downwardly onto the outside of said uppers, said housing being in the form of a tunnel and said means for supporting said uppers being a conveyor for continuously feeding uppers of shoes through said tunnel, and heated water baths arranged along the sides of and proximate the lower end of said tunnel through which said means for projecting said water spray pass, and said means for directing said air current being in the form of air nozzles.

5. Apparatus for steaming the outside of the uppers of shoes while maintaining the inside in dry condition, said apparatus comprising a housing having a lower end and an upper portion forming an apex, means in said housing for supporting said uppers, means for directing an air current upwardly into the interior of said uppers, heating means disposed at the apex of said housing, means disposed laterally and proximate the lower end of said housing for projecting a water spray into said housing and against said heating means for additionally vapori izing said spray and with the aid of the air current directing vapor downwardly onto the outside of said uppers, said housing being in the form of a tunnel and said means for supporting said uppers being a conveyor for continuously feeding uppers of shoes through said tunnel, and heated water baths arranged along the sides of and proximate the lower end of said tunnel through which said means for projecting said water spray pass, and said heating means being heating elements in the apex of said tunnel where said water spray and the air current passed through said uppers ineet.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR STEAMING THE OUTSIDE OF THE UPPERS OF SHOES WHILE MAINTAINING THE INSIDE IN DRY CONDITION, SAID APARATUS COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A LOWER END AND AN UPPER PORITION SAID UPPERS, MEANS FOR DIRECTIN AN AIR FOR SUPPORTING SAID UPPERS, MEANS FOR DIRECTIN AN AIR CURRENT UPWARDLY INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID UPPERS, HEATING MEANS DISPOSED AT THE APEX OF SAID HOUSING, MEANS DISPOSED LATERALLY AND PORXIMATE THE LOWER END OF SIAD HOUSING FOR PROJECTING A WATER SPRAY INTO SAID HOUSING AND AGAINST SAID HEATING MEANS FOR ADDITIONALLY VAPORIZING SAID SPRAY AND WITH THE AID OF THE AIR CURRENT DIRECTING VAPOR DOWNWARDLY ONTO THE OUTSIDE OF SAID UPPERS. 